MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday announced its decisions on appeals filed against the rejection of nomination papers for the upcoming general elections.
According to the Election Commission spokesperson, a total of 28 appeals were received against the rejection of nomination papers. Of these, 10 appeals were accepted, 16 were rejected, and two appeals were dismissed on grounds of non-compliance.
Among the candidates whose appeals were accepted are Muhammad Khalid Awan, Hasnat Abbasi, Sajjad Abbasi, Zahid Yasin, Noman Arif, Usman Kashar, Zain-ul-Abidin, Chaudhry Latif Akbar, and Syed Adnan Ali Shah.
The Commission also rejected 16 appeals filed by various candidates from different constituencies, including Ghulam Rabbani, Muhammad Shahzad, Tanveer Hussain Khan, Abdul Rashid Mirza, Aman Idrees, Atif Hussain, Anwarul Haq, Zubair Ahmed, Zafar Iqbal, Zahoor Ahmed, Muhammad Bashir, Muhammad Faisal, Muhammad Saud Mukhtar, Tahir Khokhar, and Sajid Bhat.
Meanwhile, two appeals filed by Tahir Khokhar from Jammu-VI against Khawaja Muhammad Usman and Wajahat Baig were dismissed due to non-compliance with procedural requirements.
Following the completion of appeal proceedings, the Election Commission will finalize the list of eligible candidates before the allotment of election symbols and the commencement of formal campaigning.
Latif Akbar’s papers accepted
The Election Commission declared the nomination papers of Acting President and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Chaudhry Latif Akbar, valid from constituency LA-31 (Muzaffarabad-V), clearing him to contest the upcoming elections.
Earlier, the Returning Officer ruled that Latif Akbar is not eligible to contest the election while holding the office of Acting President of the State.
However, he appealed to the Election Commission, which has now ruled that the nomination papers met all legal requirements.
The decision was announced after the scrutiny process of his nomination papers was completed in Muzaffarabad.
According to the Commission, Latif Akbar is fully eligible to participate in the electoral process, with no legal impediment preventing him from contesting the elections.
